Beach Day: Lillie And Mallow!
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Lillie and Mallow spend a fun day at the beach! But it can't always go totally smoothly...
1. Beach Day!

**So uhm... I may have just... tried out a few episodes of Sun & Moon recently and got hooked and fell in love with Lillie and her best(girl)friend Mallow.**

**Never written a Pokemon fic like this before (only for Pokemon Go, which is very different) so I'm not too sure if I should be using English or Japanese names, but I'm just going with English! Hope it's okay! This takes place in the earlier episodes of S&M, around 15 or so.**

**Just some gal pal fluff and a tad bit of drama... I want it to feel like an episode, hence the title haha. It's more fun in my head.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon Sun & Moon**

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Beach Day: Lillie and Mallow!

One of Lillie's favorite parts about living in the Alola region is waking up. Just about every morning, bright warm sunlight slips through her bedroom curtains and beams gently onto her face until it rouses her.

She loves that feeling of waking up and getting to feel the coziness of her blankets and pillow, and best of all Snowy curled up in her arms. It almost makes her want to be lazy until she remembers there's still _so_ much she still has to learn and experience.

And this morning especially, she can't let herself sleep in.

As soon as she remembers the day's plans, she's up in an instant.

"Morning, Snowy!" She makes sure to give a little hug and kiss to the Vulpix before sitting up to wipe the sleep from her eyes. "We can't sleep in today! We've gotta meet Mallow down on the beach!"

She's already pulling the covers off herself and getting her dress ready for the day. Snowy hops down and follows at her ankles.

Lillie is particularly excited about today, because she gets to be with _just_ Mallow for once. With Ash and all the boys and their battles, and Team Rocket and other people showing up lately, it had been a little difficult just to find time to have a girls' day between the two of them.

Lillie makes quick work of dressing, freshening up, and eating with Snowy before she's wishing James a good day, insisting she doesn't need the car today. She's so excited she nearly forgets her sun hat, and only a yip from Snowy reminds her to grab it on the way out the door.

She starts off at a saunter, taking in the beautiful sights of the world as it wakes from its slumber. The sun is already bright overhead in a piercing blue sky, and out on the horizon she can see the ocean is equally lively. She can see flocks of Wingul and Pelipper overhead and pods of Lapras and Alomomola in the distance.

She never takes her eyes off the beach, because that's where she's meeting Mallow today.

Before long, she begins to skip a little bit. Snowy must be able to sense her enthusiasm because it begins to bound ahead. It whirls back to chirp at her. Lillie blinks, then smiles.

"You're right, let's just run!"

And so they take off together down the property until they reach the sidewalk of the town, and even then they don't slow down. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lillie realizes she'd never done as much running as she's done after she'd met her friends.

She pushes on, only slowing down when Snowy gives a tired puff, so Lillie collects it into her arms. She carries the Vulpix the rest of the way, merrily greeting everyone she sees along the way.

When the beach is in sight, it doesn't take her long to spot a familiar figure. Mallow is there with her Bounsweet on her shoulder, facing the vast ocean, but as if by magic she knows exactly when to turn around and spot her friend.

"Oyyy! Lillie~!"

"Mallow!" Lillie puts Snowy onto the sand and takes off into another run as her feet move from black pavement to white sand, the sea breeze nearly taking her hat off her head.

Mallow jogs up a pace to meet her and opens her arms with a grin just as Lillie jumps right into her. Mallow catches her giggling friend with ease, even giving her a bit of a spin to finally bring her to a stop.

"Gotcha!" Mallow laughs. "Alola!"

"Alola!" Lillie gasps with a smile.

"Whoa, you're all out of breath. Did you run all the way here?"

"Something like that..." Lillie admits, stepping back from the hug. "I was just really excited to see you, Mallow!"

Mallow chuckles and puts a hand behind her head.

"Aw geez Lillie, you're makin' me blush."

"But it's true!" Lillie insists. "I feel like I haven't gotten to play with just you for a long time..." Her shoulders slump just a little, and the Pokemon coo. Mallow gives a lopsided little smile and puts her hands on Lillie's shoulders.

"Then today it's just us, okay? No boys, no battles, just us having fun! Okay?"

Lillie lifts her head and smiles again.

"Okay!"

Mallow nods and pulls her into another hug.

"And we'll do this more often from now on, too! You're my best friend, after all!"

Lillie almost feels like she might cry a little bit from being so happy. She bounces in place and hugs Mallow back as much as she can.

"Right!"

Mallow gives her back a pat before stepping away and adjusting Lillie's hat for her.

"All right then! I've already set up some stuff over there." She points down the beach a little bit to where there's a green umbrella set up over a couple of towels and a backpack. "I've got all the essentials for shell-collecting!"

Lillie clasps her hands together in excitement.

"I can't wait! There's so much you can learn about certain Pokemon just from looking at the shell fragments you find on the beach! I wonder what we'll find? There are so many different species of Pokemon that live in the ocean!"

"Whoa there, take a breath." Mallow pats Lillie's head. "Before we dive into all that, why don't you take a sip of water? You did run all the way here, after all."

"Oh, sure! That's probably a good idea."

Mallow takes her hand and leads her over to the umbrella and the towels to sit in the shade for a moment. Their Pokemon play together in the sand nearby as Mallow paws through her backpack and pulls out a cold bottle of water. She uncaps it and hands it to Lillie.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem! I just didn't want you to get dizzy from dehydration or something."

Lillie's heart flutters just a little bit. Mallow's always been looking out for her, for as long as she can remember.

When she's finished drinking, she hands the bottle back. Mallow takes a big gulp from it directly. Lillie squeaks and her heart flutters a little more.

"M-Mallow!"

"Huh? What's up?"

"I... n-never mind."

Mallow tilts her head, but shrugs.

"If you say so." She caps the water and puts it away, then takes Lillie by the hand and pulls her up. "Come on, we've got shells to find!"

Lillie quickly snaps out of her fluster and gives a squeeze to her hand.

"Right!"

So they remove their shoes and head off together toward the water in search of whatever they can find.

At first it's mostly just Pokemon themselves; a few Krabby or Corphish scuttling along the sand, a few Shellder or Carvhana swimming in the shallows. It's when the girls start to get their feet a little wet that they finally begin to find things.

"Oh!" Lillie calls out. "I got one!" She crouches down to pick up a little pink shard in the water. Mallow comes up next to her to inspect it.

"Neat! What do you think it is?"

Lillie goes into her expert mode just a little bit.

"It's from a Corsola! Bits and pieces of their horns can get damaged and fall off naturally or in battle. But don't worry, it grows back! I read it in a book!"

"That's so cool! I'll hold onto it."

Lillie transfers the shard to Mallow, who secures it in her pocket for now, and together they continue searching.

They find a handful of other things as they go; a bit of a Lapras' shell, a Magikarp scale, a piece of a Starmie's gem. Lillie breathlessly babbles on about each of their finds, and Mallow patiently listens with her full attention.

After a little while, Mallow takes Lillie by the hand and gently guides her away from the water and back to the umbrella for another drink. Lillie pours some water into a couple of bowls for the Pokemon and gives them each a pat before Mallow ushers her over and hands her a bottle.

"Here, this one's for you."

Lillie regards the water bottle Mallow had drank from earlier with nervous eyes, but eventually musters up her courage and downs several big sips.

"Atta girl," Mallow grins. When Lillie's done, Mallow finishes the bottle before glancing back at her. "Hm? Lillie, you okay? You look a little flushed."

"E-Eh? N-No I'm fine!" Lillie pulls her hat down over her face as much as she can to hide. Mallow smiles helplessly.

"You might say that, but I wanna be sure you're not getting heat-stroke or something." She crawls across the towel to sit directly in front of Lillie and gently lifts her sunhat off. Lillie squeaks and fidgets.

"M-Mallow, I'm fine-"

"I just wanna be sure." Mallow leans in close, and Lillie actually thinks she feels her heart stop for a second. She squeezes her eyes closed as Mallow lightly rests their foreheads together for a minute. At the same time, she takes Lillie's hand and presses her fingers against her wrist, humming in concentration.

Lillie forgets to breathe until she pulls away.

Mallow frowns a little.

"You feel a little warm, and your pulse is kinda fast. Maybe we should call it a day. You should go sit inside somewhere cool."

But Lillie shakes her head rapidly like a wet Rockruff trying to dry off.

"N-No, it's okay! It's just because I'm so excited! Let's keep going, Mallow."

Mallow gives her a bit of a stern look, but ultimately shrugs.

"If you're sure, then. Actually, I'd kinda wanted to check out that cove over there. There're supposed to be some cool flowers blooming in the rocks."

"A cove?" Lillie follows Mallow's line of sight down the beach a ways and perks up. "Yeah! Let's do it!"

So after Mallow has deposited the contents of her pockets into the backpack, they set off again with their Pokemon prancing close behind.

Mallow leads the way to the cove where a flock of Wingulls are resting. Bounsweet and Snowy start to play with them as Mallow and Lillie split up briefly.

"I'm gonna check the rocks!" Mallow says.

"Okay!" Lillie replies. "I'm gonna look in the water!"

Lillie scurries off and steps into the cool little waves tickling her ankles. She hunts around for a minute, muttering to herself about what might or might not be worth picking up. She glimpses a few Remoraid and Barboach here and there as she wades out to her shins. She scours the shallows for anything interesting, and manages to spot something peculiar jutting from under a rock.

"That looks like... a Milotic scale!"

Dazzled, she crouches down to dislodge it. But as she does so, a gust of wind enters the cove, and the rocks strengthen its trajectory. The breeze takes Lillie's hat clean off her head just as she closes her fingers around the scale.

"Ah-! My hat!"

It drifts a little ways out toward the edge of the cove, then closer back toward the shore. Snowy notices and bounds up to the water's edge. Lillie calls out to it.

"Snowy, it's okay! I'll come and get it!"

But the Vulpix is determined to brave the foot-deep water. It yips and jumps in, then begins to swim toward the hat. Lillie smiles.

"What a good partner." She starts making her way over with the scale in her hand.

It's right when Snowy gets the hat in its mouth when something catches Lillie's eye. Something spiny and purple is swaying in the water just below Snowy's shadow. Lillie gasps.

"Snowy, stop! That's a Mareanie!"

The marine Pokemon shudders and opens up its poisonous fronds under the water. Snowy whimpers around the brim of the hat and frantically tries to paddle away. But Lillie can see the Mareanie's spines starting to glow in the beginnings of an attack. Snowy won't get away in time.

"No! Don't!" Lillie cries out and dives forward as far as she can, arms outstretched toward her Vulpix.

All at once the water splashes, Snowy yelps, and the Mareanie swipes its poison stringers. Lillie clutches onto Snowy underwater, feeling the sharp tips score her shoulder. She shrieks and fumbles as her knees hit sand and water fills her lungs. Her left arm and shoulder are throbbing in pain, but she forces herself up, pushing Snowy higher to breach the surface.

It yips frantically and gets the attention of Bounsweet, which starts to cry out. The flock of Wingull start to squawk too.

Mallow hears the commotion and is already racing back across the rocks as quickly as she can.

"Lillie?!"

She can see the clump of white clothes and blonde hair under the shallow water, and Mallow's immediate thought is that she's caught on something. Mallow leaps off the last rock and into the water, splashing over as quickly as she can.

"Snowy, c'mere!"

The Vulpix leaps up onto Mallow's shoulder as she crouches down into the water to gather her friend. Mallow pulls her up enough to get her head above water.

"Lillie?! What happened? Are you okay?"

Lillie coughs and sputters, and Mallow can tell she's crying underneath it all. Panicked, she pats Lillie's back for her.

"Easy! Just take a deep breath!"

Lillie tries to cling onto her friend, but the pain in her arm makes her yelp again.

"Ah-! I-It hurts!"

"What does-?" Mallow looks her over until she spots the discoloration forming on Lillie's shoulder, the fair skin stained a sickening, almost purplish color. Mallow gasps. "Did a Mareanie do that?"

Lillie finally blinks her eyes open past all the water and wet hair in her face.

"S-Snowy- Is Snowy okay?"

"Snowy's fine!" Mallow says, and the Vulpix barks in confirmation. "It's _you_ we're worried about, Lillie!"

Lillie staggers in her arms as if being tossed around by multiple giant waves, but the water is calm and still.

"M-Mallow... I don't feel good..." Her stomach lurches, and her head feels light and heavy at the same time. Everything looks blurry and she can't find her balance. Her vision suddenly goes black for a second and she falls. Mallow lunges to catch her.

"Lillie!" She scoops the girl into her arms and plucks her white hat out of the water too. "Don't worry, I've gotcha! Just hang in there!"

Mallow turns and runs out of the water as quickly as she can manage, then sprints back across the beach toward her umbrella. Snowy hops off her shoulder and stands back with Bounsweet, whimpering.

Mallow kneels and carefully lies Lillie down onto the towels. She's shivering and coughing, and weak little moans keep slipping out of her lips. She struggles to open her eyes, her fingers twitching as she tries to find Mallow's.

"Mallow..."

"It's okay. I have medicine. Just take it easy." Mallow rests her hand over Lillie's for a second to reassure her, then grabs her backpack and starts going through the pockets. "Found it!" She pulls out a little yell spray bottle that she always takes with her onto the beach. Turning back to Lillie, she puts a hand to the small of her back encouragingly.

"Here, sit up a bit. Nice and slow. I've gotcha."

Lillie swallows thickly and clings to Mallow's shirt, sniffling and trying not to cry.

Mallow loops an arm across the front of her collar and leans Lillie forward a little, clearing her hair away from the stung shoulder. Mallow spritzes the affected area, making sure she covers all of it. When she's finished she puts the bottle down and wraps her other arm around Lillie's back, hugging her close.

"There. You're gonna be okay, Lillie. Just take a deep breath."

Lillie does as she's told and inhales as deeply as she can, though she ends up hiccuping a little bit. She can already feel the stinging pain in her shoulder beginning to dissipate, and instead a warm numbness takes its place. The fear that had been gripping her chest so tightly also melts away. She sighs, resting her chin on Mallow's shoulder and hugging her in return.

Mallow rubs her back a little.

"How do you feel?"

"...Much better. Thank you, Mallow."

"I'm glad. You scared me." She hugs Lillie a while longer, and Lillie certainly doesn't mind. Mallow only pulls back when she feels a shiver run through her. "Oh, here! You gotta dry off!" She goes back into her backpack and pulls out a clean towel, then drapes it over Lillie. She rubs it up and down her arms and back for her, then pats down her hair as best she can.

Lillie sniffles the last of her tears away as the last dizzy feelings fade. Snowy bounds up to her and yips.

"Ah, Snowy! I'm so glad you're okay. Thanks for getting my hat. Ah! But what about-?" She looks around herself on the towel until she spots the blue scale. "The Milotic scale! At least I didn't drop it!" She picks it up just as Mallow finishes drying her off and peers down curiously.

"Whoa, a Milotic scale? That's rare! But those are sharp! Lemme see your hand." Mallow takes both of Lillie's wrists and turns her hands over. Sure enough, her right palm is red and slightly swollen. "Oh, no. You're not bleeding, are you?"

"M-Mallow, I'm okay..."

"Hold on." Mallow goes back into her pack as Lillie sits there, ruffled and flustered about being fussed over yet again. Mallow pulls out a little tube of ointment and squeezes some onto her finger. She takes Lillie's hand and begins spreading the paste over the redness.

Lillie remains quiet all the while, fiddling with the scale in her other hand. When Mallow finishes with the ointment, she fishes out a band-aid and sticks it into place on Lillie's palm. Mallow, she sits back with a grin.

"There! You should be all set now!"

But Lillie doesn't look up at her or say anything. Mallow frowns and tilts her head.

"Lillie?"

Another sniffle, and just when she'd gotten all the tears to stop, new ones begin dripping down Lillie's cheeks and into her lap. Mallow yelps.

"L-Lillie? What's the matter? Does it still hurt? Do you feel sick?"

Lillie shakes her head, bringing her arm up to wipe across her face.

"N-No... It doesn't hurt anymore... I just..." She lifts her face and fresh tears spill over. "I'm sorry, Mallow!"

Mallow blinks.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?"

Lillie hiccups some more, and it's hurting Mallow to see her like this. She pulls Lillie into a loose hug and pats her head.

"I just-" Lillie chokes. "I wanted to have a nice day with you... a-and then that happened... I ruined it..."

"Hey, hey!" Mallow soothes her with a bit of a squeeze. "What are you saying, Lillie? You didn't ruin anything! Accidents happen and that's why I always come prepared! I'm just glad you're okay."

Lillie sniffles some more.

"Y-Yeah, but... I made you worry a-and take care of me-"

"Lillie!" Mallow cuts her off and gives her shoulders a firm, but gentle shake to get her attention. Lillie looks up tearfully and hiccups again. Mallow reaches up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, smiling softly.

"Lillie, we're best friends! You should know by now that I don't mind taking care of you if you need help! You'd do the same for me! You didn't cause any trouble for me or anything!" She rests her hands on Lillie's shoulders as the girl hiccups again. Mallow brushes a few of her tears away."Okay? So don't cry, Lillie. We still had fun today, right? Remember all the cool stuff we found? And that Milotic scale is so pretty!"

Lillie feels the squirming worry in her chest gradually easing away. Being with Mallow always makes her feel better. And thoughts of the scale remind her.

"Do you like it...?" she asks. "Actually I... I wanted to get it... for you, Mallow."

"Eh? For me?"

Lillie nods and finally cracks a tiny smile. She offers Mallow the scale cupped in her palms. Mallow beams and happily accepts it.

"Thanks, Lillie! I'll treasure it!" She takes Lillie's bandaged hand and brings it to her lips, kissing her palm softly. Lillie squeaks and turns pink.

"M-Mallow!"

"I got something for you, too!" Mallow grins and reaches into her shorts pocket. She reveal a flower with white petals that blend into a beautiful sky-blue towards the center. Lillie gasps.

"Wow! It's so pretty!"

"Right? This is the one I wanted to find in the cove. I thought it'd look good on you."

"On me?"

"Yeah!" Mallow lifts the flower up and weaves it gently into Lillie's hair above her ear. "There! Perfect! You're so pretty, Lillie!"

Lillie's eyes sparkle like the ocean, and she beams a smile warmer than the sun.

"Thank you, Mallow! I love you!" She throws her arms around Mallow, all her worries forgotten.

Mallow squeezes her in return.

"I love you too, Lillie!"

The two girls giggle and cuddle up close for a moment before easing back to go through their treasures.

They make plans for lunch, and eventually pack up and head off the beach hand in hand.

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**A/N: Of course like... the episode I saw right after I wrote this was the one where they showed all the jewelry and ocean spoils characters can get from the ocean... The ones I'd put in here were just random things I imagined might fit haha**

**This was a lot more difficult to write than I'd imagined! I was trying to picture it as an episode so I wanted to make sure I included realistic-feeling interactions with their Pokemon, even if those relationships weren't the key ones here. I wanted it to feel like an episode; mostly fun with just a bit of trouble and ultimately a happy ending!**

**How did I do...?**

**Please review!**


	2. Keeping Warm, Even In Snow!

**It's been really difficult to restrain myself from writing something up for these two any time anything happens in the anime as I'm watching it... But this episode with the sledding? Come on, I couldn't leave that untouched. This is my version of what happens during the commercial break/cut.**

**Also I had no idea about a title so...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon: Sun & Moon.**

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Chapter 2. Keeping Warm, Even In Snow!

No matter where the group is, no matter what they're doing, Mallow never really takes her eyes off of Lillie.

And it isn't just because they're best friends, though that _is_ a major part of it, but Mallow has always been inclined to keep an eye on her, either to make sure she's okay, or just because she's really cute.

If only today it had just been the latter.

Lillie has been particularly fired up since meeting Cerah, and Snowy's determination to compete in the sledding competition has only fueled Lillie even further. But looking up at that massive slope they're supposed to come down, Mallow can't help but gulp.

Ash and Kiawe make it down more or less in one piece and are clearly having a lot of fun with it all. But as Lillie gets ready at the top of that mountain, Mallow can't help but fidget, and not because of the cold air.

"I hope she'll be okay..."

Something about this just doesn't sit well with her. Lillie has been doing her best to break out of her shell recently, especially since she'd been able to touch Pokemon. But something this high-speed and potentially dangerous...

"No! What am I thinking? She can do this!"

"Mallow?" Lana pokes her. "Did you say something?"

"Eh? Ah, n-no! Nothing!" Mallow clutches her gloved hands together and focuses on Lillie's tiny form at the top of the slope. She gives a wave and a little shout.

"I'm going!"

Mallow instantly jumps up to wave back.

"You can do it, Lillie!"

She watches her best friend sit down on the sled with Snowy in front.

She watches them push off and speed down.

She watches them shoot up from the ramp and soar through the air and...

"_Oh no..._"

Mallow can already tell. She can already see that the angle for the landing just isn't right.

She's already off and running even before the crash landing.

Lillie cries out in pain as the sled is jostled by the rough impact and she's tossed high into the air. Snowy leaps clear, but is too late to use any sort of move to help. Everyone else shouts out, but no one louder than Mallow.

"_Lillie!_"

Lillie hits the snow face-down, and clumps of white fly up around her. She doesn't get up.

Mallow rushes to her side and gets there first, heart pounding and throat tight with fear.

"Lillie! Lillie?! Are you okay? Can you hear me?" She rests a hand on Lillie's back and shakes her gently, but Lillie doesn't stir. Mallow tries to clear the hair and snow from her face. Her cheeks are flushed, and there's a small trickle of red dripping down her nose. The others trample over in a panic.

"Lillie!"

"That was a bad fall."

"Is she okay?"

"I-I dunno!" Mallow whimpers. "She's unconscious! Wh-What do we do-?"

"Hold on." Cerah weaves through the group and kneels down beside Mallow. She looks Lillie over as much as she can without moving her too much, as all the others stand by anxiously. Snowy whimpers and paces around Professor Kukui's boots, pawing at the snow. Mallow is doing her best not to burst into tears, holding tightly to one of Lillie's hands. After a minute, Cerah sits back with a sigh.

"It doesn't seem like anything's been broken or fractured. She just needs to rest a little and get cleaned up. We should take her back-"

"I-I'll go!" Mallow blurts out instantly. "I'll take her back to the cabin!"

"We'll all go!" Ash declares. But Mallow shakes her head.

"No, you guys should keep practicing out here. If Lillie wakes up and finds out everyone stopped what they were doing for her sake, she'll get embarrassed."

"She's right," Kiawe says. "We don't want Lillie to feel guilty."

"She definitely would," Sophocles mutters.

"Right?" Mallow says. "So I'll take her." She looks up to Professor Kukui for approval. He puts a hand to his chin and contemplates for a moment, thinking it all over before heaving a sigh.

"All right," he smiles. "We'll leave her to you, Mallow."

"Right." She fishes into her pocket for a PokeBall and returns Tsareena for the time being. Then with Cerah's help, Mallow maneuvers Lillie onto her back and gets a firm grip on her legs, standing slowly. Lillie's weight is light on her back and doesn't slow Mallow down much at all.

"C'mon, Snowy!"

The Vulpix mews and bounds over to her, ears flat as it looks worriedly up at its trainer. Mallow smiles.

"Don't worry, she's gonna be fine."

"Mallow," Professor Kukui says. "Call for us if anything happens."

"Yes, sir." She sweeps her gaze around to all her concerned friends. "I'll take good care of her! I promise!"

"Yeah!"

"Right!"

"If Mallow's on it, there's nothing to worry about!"

"Take care!"

With this, Mallow turns and begins heading back toward the little cabin.

It only takes a few minutes to get there, and she does her best not to jostle Lillie too much. When she reaches the door, she takes care in pushing it open. Snowy holds it for her so it won't bump Lillie, then scampers in after them.

It's much warmer inside the cabin, especially without the chilled winds blowing in. Mallow makes her way to the couch and crouches down, carefully slipping Lillie off and turning her around to lie her down on her back. Mallow positions a pillow underneath her friend's head, the gently pulls off Lillie's hat. There's still a bit of blood dripping down her nose, and Mallow quickly grabs a tissue to clear it away. Snowy jumps up onto the couch and whines, curling up at Lillie's hip. Mallow gives it a pat.

"Don't worry. She'll wake up soon."

She holds the tissue to Lillie's nose for another minute, clearing the loose strands of blonde hair out of her face as she waits. She also unbuttons Lille's jacket a little bit at the top to make sure she can breathe easily.

Once the blood has stopped, Mallow dusts off the little chunks of snow still clinging to Lillie's clothes and stands up.

"Keep her nice and warm, Snowy. I'm gonna make some hot chocolate."

She pulls off her gloves, hurries over to the kitchen area, throws out the tissue, and washes her hands before searching the cabinets for a box of cocoa. She gets some water boiling and gets to work, constantly looking back over her shoulder to Lillie.

"Geez, why did this have to happen? And to Lillie, of all people...?" Not that she would've rather it have happened to Ash or Kiawe instead, but at least they were a bit sturdier. Lillie is so petite, and such a hard fall after such a fast descent down such a tall hill...

A small bark from Snowy gets Mallow's attention. She's just pouring the hot cocoa into two cups and quickly brings them over to the couch, putting them on the nearby coffee table. Mallow crouches down on the floor beside her friend and picks up Lillie's hands, slowly removing her gloves so she can lace their fingers together.

"Lillie..."

Lillie stirs and makes a small sound, her brow furrowing. Snowy stands up and yips in encouragement. Mallow squeezes her hands.

"Lillie!"

It takes a moment, but Lillie eventually opens her eyes, blinking up blearily at the ceiling. Mallow lets out a huge breath.

"Lillie! Thank goodness!"

"Eh...? Mallow?" Lillie blinks and sniffles in confusion. "Where are we? What-" But before she can finish, Snowy gives a bark and jumps happily onto her chest. Lillie flinches.

"Ow-!"

"Snowy, be careful!" Mallow quickly picks the Vulpix up and places it gently on the cushions again. "Lillie, are you okay?"

"I... I'm fine... A little sore..."

"That makes sense. You had a nasty fall."

"F-Fall...?" Lillie gasps as she remembers what had happened. Snowy hangs its head and whimpers. "Oh! Snowy, it's all right! You didn't hurt me!" She reaches out to pick up her partner, but flinches again before she can make contact. Mallow gently stops her.

"Easy. Don't move too quickly. Can you sit up?"

"I think so..."

Mallow slips an arm around the small of her back and helps her up, letting her lean back against the pillow and the arm of the couch. Just that much alone has left Lillie a little too breathless for Mallow's liking. Mallow rubs her hand up and down her friend's back for her.

"Are you okay? Can you breathe properly? Does anything hurt? Miss Cerah said she didn't think anything was broken, but-"

"I'm okay," Lillie smiles. "Like I said, just a bit sore. A-And maybe a little cold..."

Mallow notices she's started to shiver a little bit. But if cold and sore are all she is, Mallow will consider it a miracle.

"Thank goodness..."

She brings herself up to sit on the edge of the couch and gently wraps her arms around Lillie, pulling her close.

Lillie feels Snowy curl up at her side and pets it fondly, then reaches up to cling to Mallow's shoulders. She closes her eyes and shudders against her, letting out shallow little breaths.

But even long after she's warmed herself up, she can still feel a shaking against her chest. Lillie eases back a little.

"Mallow... You're shivering, too. Are you cold?"

Mallow sighs against her neck, and it trembles.

"No... Not cold... I just..." She shakes her head. "It was really scary... watching you fall like that... You could've been hurt _really_ badly..." She bites back a whimper at the thought, feeling Lillie's arms pull her closer.

"But I wasn't," she murmurs. "I wasn't hurt, so it's logical to conclude that you don't have to worry, Mallow."

Mallow chuckles a little bit at Lillie's trademark logic comment.

"Silly. I can't just _not_ worry..."

"I suppose not. In that case, thank you for worrying about me."

"Yeah... And thank _you_ for not getting hurt..."

"I did my Lillie best not to." The both of them giggle softly and ease apart. Snowy paws its way up into Lillie's arms and she gives it a good hug. "I'm so glad you weren't hurt either, Snowy!"

The Vulpix coos and licks her nose. Mallow smiles and exhales, feeling the stifling weight being lifted off her chest.

"Oh! That's right!" She turns to pick up the two cups of hot chocolate and hands one to Lillie. "This should help warm you up!"

"Ah! Thank you so much!"

They both let the cups warm their hands for a minute before taking a sip and letting out a simultaneous hum.

"Mmmm!"

"It's delicious, Mallow!"

"Really? You think so?"

"Yes!"

"Ehehe!"

The two of them enjoy their treat, letting the warm flavors spread throughout their bodies. When they're both done, Mallow places the cups back onto the coffee table to clean up later. She looks Lillie over again a bit pensively.

"Lillie, are you sure you're okay? Nothing hurts?"

Lillie makes a determined fist.

"Not at all. It's a logical conclusion that the snow cushioned my fall a great deal."

"Thank goodness for that." Mallow pulls her into another soft hug. "Do you wanna stay here and get some rest? You don't have a headache or anything?"

"Nothing of the sort!" Lillie declares. "I want to go back out and practice some more with Snowy! I want to win tomorrow's competition!"

"Of course you do," Mallow grins. "I should've known. You're tough as Turtonator's spikes, after all!"

Lillie giggles again, and Snowy wags its tails.

So once she's ready, Mallow gives Lillie back her gloves and hat, then takes her hands. She helps her up off the couch and back onto her feet. Lillie is a little bit shaky at first, but Mallow helps her find her balance again. She still can't help but worry.

"Are you sure you wanna keep practicing?"

"Yes! I'm sure!"

Mallow can't say no to her when she's got that determined spark in her eyes, but it won't stop her from being concerned.

"Just make sure you don't push yourself, okay? If you start feeling dizzy or something hurts, you've gotta tell me right away!"

"I will. I promise." Lillie gives a small jump and throws her arms around Mallow once again. "Thank you for taking care of me, Mallow. And thank you for not bringing the others back here. I would have been mortified..."

Mallow smiles and loops her arms around Lillie's waist.

"You don't have to thank me." She holds her for a moment, glad to feel she isn't shivering or swaying. Mallow eases back with a grin. "Now then, let's get you practicing so you can win that competition tomorrow!"

"Right!" Snowy jumps up onto Lillie's shoulder and barks. Lillie pats its head. "I'm all rested up and warmed up now thanks to you, Mallow! I'm ready to give it my Lillie best!"

"Glad to hear it!"

Mallow takes Lillie's hand, and together they head for the doors, ready to brace the cold and the training ahead.

* * *

**A/N: I just had to do something! When Lillie fell off that sled I thought she'd broken an arm or something, but as soon as the commercial break was over she was perfectly fine like nothing happened. So I just made it yuri, of course. Not too much, but just enough that I could get away with it.**

**Also I just... I'm a sub watcher and some of the English names (esp Mamane) are just... so strange to me... **

**Maybe more some day? Who knows.**

**Please review!**


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